Early voting on the rise statewide

Elections officials say early voting and absentee ballots are up in the state of Ohio.

In Delaware County, more than 1,500 voters have come in to vote early within the last week as officials prepare for Election Day on Nov. 6.

Voters will choose a new governor, decide a U.S. Senate race and other state and federal races on Nov. 6. Ohioans will also vote on a statewide drug sentencing issue.

“Well it’s convenient here in Delaware County so I stopped by and voted early,” says an early voter.

“We’ve really seen an influx in the absentee voting my mail. In the presidential, we did 23,000. We’re up to 20,000 at this point for this election so we are on a path of doing what we did in the presidential,” said Delaware County Board of Elections Director Karla Herron.

Early voting began 30 days before the election. Ballots were sent to military voters in September.

The benefits of voting early is convenience. Early voters can avoid lines and can make sure they have voted in the event of an emergency or a need to travel on Election Day.

“I think you never know. People’s lives are busy and they may decide on election morning (that) something pops up and so it’s just one way of knowing you have it done and you can relax and not worry about it,” Herron said.

Herron said more people have decided to vote early in recent years.

“What’s exciting about it is prior to 2006, we would only see someone that was out of town or elderly, over 65 years of age. The beauty of it is we see every age,” Herron said.

“Your voice counts and your choices count so get in and get out whoever your voting for,” an earlier voter said.

If you are unsure of your exact polling location, visit the county Board of Elections website in your county.

Copyright 2019 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.